Summer can be a tough time for greenies. At least in my opinion. If you own, or rent, a place with a yard, then you are expected by your neighbors to keep it fairly neat.

Making a lawn beautiful isn’t usually the most “green” thing to do. There’s the mowing, weed-eating, watering and fertilizing.

Mowing and weed-eating:

Most mowers and weed-eaters are not environmentally-friendly. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,) the emissions from small engines, like lawn mowers, include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.

The good news is, there are lower-energy options. If you have a small lawn, or lots of stamina, you can use a reel-mower. The only energy these guys use is man-power. For the weeds, you could use a scythe (though that might scare your neighbors!)

There are also electric options. We recently upgraded to an electric mower, and though the cord does tend to get in the way, this mower is so much lighter and easier to push over the lawn. We also have an electric weed-eater. While these do not guzzle gas, they are using electricity.

But there is one other option — plant groundcover. Once groundcover takes hold, it shouldn’t need to be mowed. You could make your yard ornamental and unconventionally beautiful with lots of work upfront, but little on the back-end.

Watering:

Once the dry, hot summer begins, many people put the sprinklers out to keep their grass lush and green. But that can be a big waste of water.

Instead, why not invest in a rain barrel? They collect rainwater from your roof, and even have a spigot that you can connect your hose to for watering. Here’s a great description of rain barrels and what they do.

Fertilizing:

Many fertilizers on the market are chockful of chemicals. There are several organic options, like animal manure and compost. I know some cities sell compost, but you can easily make your own organic compost.

It may still be a little chilly out, but this is actually a great time to start thinking about your vegetable garden.

We often hear about the importance of buying local and organic produce. It can’t get much more local than from your own yard! And since you are the one growing it, then you can be certain that it’s organic.

Prepping the soil:

A few weeks ago, I wrote about composting. This can help you cut down on your trash, and makes excellent organic fertilizer for your gardens.

If you have a compost bin, now is the time to put a few inches of compost on your garden. No compost? Try straw. Allow this layer to stay on the ground until you are ready to work the soil

Rex Truelove writes in an article for Helium that the layer will help increase the fertility and improve the quality of the soil.

Start your seeds indoors:

If it’s too cold to plant anything outside, you can start planting some seeds inside.

Put the seeds into individual peat pots, which are made from compressed peat. Once the seed sprouts, the entire pot can be planted in the ground. This is a much more earth friendly way to sprout seeds than using plastic containers, which really can’t be used more than once.

Answers.com also reports that peat pots can reduce setbacks caused from transplanting.

You should be able to pick up peat pots at just about any home improvement or garden store.

Recommended early spring varieties:

If you’re excited about getting your early spring garden ready, but not sure what you should plant, Demesne has a great graph detailing different types of veggies, along with when you should start the seedlings and how much sun they need.
If you’re curious about your hardiness zone, check out this graphic by the USA Today.

Real Christmas trees benefit the environment by providing greenscape, absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off fresh oxygen. But, with more than 25 million real trees sold in America each holiday season, its important that we look at the end game of all where all these trees go once the glitter of Christmas wears off. It shouldn’t be news to you that simply throwing out your live Christmas tree is a clear environmental faux pas – but what should you do with it? The answer may depend on available programs near you, but most everyone should be able to find at least one eco-friendly option which suits their needs.

Every year, millions of Christmas trees are sent to landfills or dumped on public property in America.

Decorate for the Birds

Prepare for your tree for its environmentally-sound end by decorating with compostable decorations such as popcorn garlands. Using compostable décor on your tree means that you don’t have to undecorate the tree before putting it in your compost pile, sending it to your community’s compost facility, or (and I think this is the best idea!) putting the tree outside to be a feeder for the birds. That’s right, simply put your compostable, decorated tree in your backyard and enjoy your natural bird feeder.

Community Composting for Xmas Trees

There are more than 4,000 Christmas tree recycling programs in the Unites States. Go to your community’s municipal webpage or contact your local trash pickup service to inquire about composting programs they offer. Still can’t find a local resource? Go to Earth911 and type “Christmas tree” and your location into their search to find local programs. Many services offer curbside pick up. Considering that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 24% of landfilled waste is yard clippings and compostable, doing your part to utilize your local programs can make a big dent in your personal contribution.

Still can’t find a local program in your area? Start your own Christmas tree recycling program and give the gift that lasts… less waste in our landfills.

For next year, use the buy local, buy organic rule for the purchase of your next real Christmas tree. Check out Local Harvest to find one of the more than 5,000 choose and cut Christmas Tree farms in the U.S.

And, if you are looking to the next step in low-impact living, consider purchasing a potted, living Christmas tree next year. Then, plant the tree in your yard after the holiday or consider donating it to a local arbor organization dedicated to greening your community. For those of you in the ever environmentally chic San Francisco, next year, rent a tree which will be picked up from you after the holidays and planted in the city.

Hope you had a happy holiday!

Image by Flickr user BowBrick used under a Creative Commons License.

November 15th is America Recycles Day. Who knew? I did! And isn’t that why you come to read this blog? So you can learn about new days to celebrate your shades of green? Besides, this is a day all for you to clean up your act – environmentally speaking anyway.

For 11 years, millions of Americans have taken a stand every year on this day, pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials. Have you taken the pledge yet?

In 2007, more than 63 million tons of municipal wastes were recycled, a mild increase from the year before. But we can absolutely do better. In the same year, it is estimated that only 60% of Americans had access to curbside recycling programs. While those of you in the Northeast and Midwest have relatively extensive access to recycling, those in the South have been left in the dust. Southern states have the least accessible recycling programs in the United States. Take the next step and organize a recycling program in your area if there isn’t already one.

Most people know that recycling programs generally accept paper, glass, some plastics, and aluminum. But many of these programs are increasing the variety of plastics and other items they are willing to take. If it has been a while since you visited the website of your municipal program’s website, take a minute and look at the list of items that they accept. Some municipalities are accepting nursery flower pots, cat litter plastic buckets, and even the lids of bottles and containers (did you even know that lids weren’t always accepted?).

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Recycling is about more than just emptying a container and putting it in a bin, though. Recycling also includes disposing of hazardous wastes and compostable items appropriately. Before you throw away those medications, half empty cans of old paint, and old pesticides, check with your local government to see if they have a facility which accepts them. We might think landfills are out of sight out of mind, but what seeps into the ground underneath them can sometimes end up in our waterways and groundwater – water we may be using for drinking.

If you already recycle your basics, take the next step and seek out ways to compost your organic materials. True, not everyone has a backyard ready for a composter, but if you do, take advantage. By separating out your food wastes and yard clippings into a compost pile you can create soil rich in nutrients. For all those apartment dwellers, consider seeking out a space where you can start a communal compost pile or make friends with a house-dweller who will lend you some land. Or, if you are really into it, consider purchasing an electric composter suited to apartment living.

Recycling is one of the easiest ways you can help reduce your carbon footprint. Did you know that by recycling one aluminum can, enough energy is saved to run a TV for three hours? Reusing and recycling the materials we use not only saves energy, it also saves raw materials and helps generate needed resources to make other new products.

So how many of you recycle outside of your home? Raise your hand. Not too many I see. There is a simple reason for that – there are just not enough municipal programs which provide public recycle bins so residents can recycle-on-the-go. Only a handful of cities have bins on street corners, and I am always flabbergasted when I’m visiting a city that does. Without recycling-on-the-go programs that are accessible and eye-catching, we won’t ever be able to get all those disposable water bottle drinkers to recycle! If your city doesn’t have an on-the-go program, take the initiative to bring recyclables home with you in your trusty reusable bag. It’s simple to grab a coke at the local convenience store, drink it on the go and throw the bottle in your bag so it can be recycled when you get home.

Better yet, if you live in one of the eleven states that have passed bottle bills and offer container deposits, take your bottles and cans back and reap the financial benefits. The best part of living in Vermont (a bottle bill state) was throwing a party and making a few bucks off all the empty bottles and cans. It’s important to note though, that these programs would be significantly more effective if they kept up with inflation. For the most part there have not been any significant increases in the deposit amounts and most of the laws were enacted and implemented in the late 70s and early 80s. Without updates to these laws and broader implementation in every state, the effectiveness of bottle bills can only reach so far.

Take a moment to think about your recycling habits and make some goals for the coming year which can encourage you to reduce, reuse, and recycle more. Write your recycling resolution for 2009 in the comments section below.